I’ve co-authored three books on straw bale building. The first, called Straw Bale Building is now out of print, replaced by the more thorough and complete More Straw Bale Building.
More Straw Bale Building is a how-to guide for the owner/builder or contractor who is intrigued by straw bale building and wants to know enough to decide if this is the right choice, and then to move from choosing straw bale to knowing how to design and build with bales. It has all the lessons learned over years of building with bales, and is a really good book.
Straw Bale Details is aimed at designers, architects and engineers who are creating plans for straw bale buildings. The easily cut-and-paste details cover a very wide range of straw bale scenarios, from load-bearing to timber frame infill. Many different foundation, roof and window and door details are also covered.
Buy Books!
Building books are still, despite the advent of the internet, the best way to learn about new building techniques. If somebody’s put the time and effort into making a book, they probably have something valid and useful to say. I wouldn’t discourage you from learning on the internet, but when you really need hard, trustworthy information, buy the book. When we’re talking about house building, the investment you’re making is at least in the tens of thousands of dollars and maybe in the hundreds of thousands. A few hundred dollars worth of books can be the best return on investment you’ll make. Buy books!